Health behaviours

The study of behaviours that influence health and the factors determining
which individuals will and will not perform such behaviours has become a
key area of research within health psychology. As the second edition of this
book testifies, there is a considerable and impressive body of research in this
area. The purpose of this book is to provide in a single source an overview
of current research and practical details of how to apply the most widely
used social cognition models to the prediction of the performance of health
behaviours....

I would like to start by saying how pleased I am that Health Promotion in
Midwifery has reached a second edition, the first having been more popular than my
editors at Arnold or I had ever dreamed possible. The development of the principles
and practices laid out in this second edition will enable midwives and other health
professionals to keep health promotion at the forefront of their midwifery practice.
The popularity of this, and other publications, demonstrates that midwifery and
health promotion are very comfortable partners in the minds and hearts of
midwives....

Traffic moves slowly in Kathmandu’s ancient and narrow city streets and distances
travelled are relatively short. Currently, there are 3,500 three-wheeled vehicles,
tempos, clogging Kathmandu’s streets. These three-wheelers are the most common
form of public transportation in the Kathmandu Valley. They account for 25 percent of
all vehicular traffic in the city and contribute over 60 percent of vehicular emissions.

This study investigated young female consumers' beauty product shopping behavioural patterns, their perceived importance of product attributes, and their attitude towards and purchase of natural beauty products. This study also examines whether consumers' product attitudes and shopping behaviours are influenced by their health and environmental consciousness. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 210 female college students enrolled at a south-eastern university in the US.

The great majority of Wisconsin household residents have health insurance (counting both private and
public coverage). In 2008, an estimated 5,045,000 Wisconsin household residents (92%) had health
insurance and 433,000 (8%) did not. This estimate is a “snapshot” of Wisconsin at one point in time
(Figure 4). (Respondents report on the health insurance coverage of each household member at the time
of the survey interview; interviews are conducted from February through December.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the worst indicators of women’s health—particularly of reproductive
health—of any world region. These indicators include the highest number of HIV-positive
women and the highest infant, maternal, and HIV-related death rates worldwide. The ability
of a woman to make her own decisions regarding her body and her reproductive life are key to
improving these indicators.

Despite these factors, children’s mental health has so far been paid insufficient attention
in schools. Teachers are uniquely placed to influence the mental health of children and
young people. As well as being in a position to recognise the symptoms of mental health
difficulties at an early stage, they can enhance the social and emotional development of
children and foster their mental well-being through their daily responses to pupils.

From the perspective of behavioral economics, rationality is bounded by asymmetrical preferences. Consider, for example, status quo bias. Samuelson and Zeckhauser (1988) reported that when Harvard University changed some of the health insurance options it offered employees, newly hired personnel were more likely to enroll than were people already on the university’s payroll; those employees generally chose to keep their current plans. The appeal of the status quo can be explained, in part, by the concept of loss aversion.

In morocco access to antenatal services is limited and many HIV-
positive pregnant women are not identified for lack of HIV testing,
especially in rural areas. The fear of stigma and discrimination is a
major barrier for women to get tested, both at home and in health
care settings. Breast-feeding is contraindicated by the Ministry of
Health (an outdated recommendation), but formula is provided in
only three cities and only 56 percent of the rural population has
access to safe drinking water.

Private health insurance has offered a primary source of coverage for population groups
ineligible to public programmes, and contributed to provide insurance protection against other public
system coverage gaps. It has helped to inject resources into health systems, enabling an expansion in
capacity and services. It also enhanced access to timely care in some systems experiencing prolonged
public sector waiting times.

Gaps in current knowledge
To strengthen current knowledge, particularly on effectiveness,
cost/benefit analysis and the impact on health of WHP programmes,
further research is needed. The development of simple and easy-to-use
validated instruments for diet and physical activity evaluation is
encouraged.

e California Simulation of Insurance Markets
(CalSIM) model is designed to estimate the impact of
various elements of the ACA on employer decisions to
offer insurance coverage and individual decisions to
obtain coverage in California.

The evidence presented in this report shows that the health of our educators is a source of concern because the prevalence of HIV is high. The determinants are multiple: behavioural, knowledge deficit, lack of self-efficacy skills, migratory practices, gender, and alcohol misuse. Chronic conditions such as hypertension, stomach ulcers, arthritis and diabetes are common. The report also shows that our country is likely to lose a very high proportion of educators due to job dissatisfaction, job stress and low morale....

The world’s major food items, core requirements for
human health, come from wetland ecosystems. Rice,
a staple food item for almost half the world’s popu-
lation, is grown in a wide range of environments,
mostly wetland ecosystems. Rice receives 35–45%
of the world’s irrigation water and some 24–30% of
developed freshwater resources.

Several organizations have undertaken efforts to promote oral health. The National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health published The Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health to promote and improve the health and well being of infants, children and adolescents. The American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Periodontology
and the American Academy of Pediatrics have issued statements and recommendations for improving the oral health of pregnant women and young children....

Health disparities are differences that occur by gender,
race and ethnicity, education level, income level, disability,
or geographic location. Health disparities exist among all
age groups, including among children and adolescents.
For example, low-income and children of color lag behind
their more afﬂ uent and White peers in terms of health
status. Children lower in the socioeconomic hierarchy suffer
disproportionately from almost every disease and show higher
rates of mortality than those above them.